title: Neural regrowth induced by PLGA nerve conduits and neurotrophin-3 in rats with complete spinal cord transection.
abstract: Biomaterials and neurotrophic factors represent two promising strategies for spinal cord injury repair. In this study, a combinatorial approach combining the PLGA nerve conduits and the recombinant human neurotrophin-3 (rhNT3) was utilized in a spinal cord injury animal model. After complete transection of the thoracic cord in rats, rhNT3 was administered as a single dose to the host cord caudal to a 2-mm conduit. Axonal regrowth was enhanced, as indicated by immunostaining and neurofilament-positive area measurement. Neural regrowth was further demonstrated via the retrograde tracing across the lesion. The animals implanted with the PLGA scaffold and rhNT3 exhibited significantly improved performance in BBB rating scale and grid walk tests. These observations suggest that PLGA nerve conduits combined with exogenous NT3 may serve as an alternative therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury repair.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Army General Hospital, Beijing 100700, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Hongtian
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jianghong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Zhifeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiaodan
authors.forename: Jianwu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Ruxiang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000294:innervation; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D020933:Neurotrophin 3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy*; D058630:Spinal Cord Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D020933:Neurotrophin 3; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019344:Lactic Acid